WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3929, 28 September 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(From our cum? Correspondent.)

Wr.Li.ixoToy, So. (.ember 27. In the discussion last week mi one of the clauses of the Abolition Bill, reference was made to pationage of news; apers, and Messrs Reid, O’Conor. Macandrcw. and others strongly urged the continuance of Provincial Gazettes, and thereafter Mr Creighton spoke a 1 follows : _ — ll Ihe object of the Goverunu nt, I presume, is to obtain the largest circulation in cadi district, and that will li ■ best attained in newspapers rather than in the ‘Gaz-tt--.’ The ‘Gazette’of Otago finds a larger cirenlalimi amongst grocer.-,;’ and chandlers’ shops than anywhere eDe. Very large pm cols of tie sc ‘ Gazettes ’ a;e regularly delivered at ■ he retail grocers’ shops of Dunedin, and, what is more, I can tell those, bon. gentlemen who I ave said so much for the Otago I'rov ueial Government ‘Gazette’ that. I do not speak without the book. Ido not think tho idea of calling for tenders will bo found to answer, because newspapers, with limited circulation, will, of course, take adwitis- nu-ufs at the cheapest rale. ’J he Gm eminent should be allowed to select its own medi an for giving publicity to advertisements Let tlu nmlo a« they do now. I do not know that there are any complaints of partiality in the dih.iibution of advertise ments. and my opinion is that the amendment would bo injminus to the newspaper proprietors of the Colony, who are already over-weighted by the competition of the Government printing office,” Mr Reynolds gave utterance to the extraordinary belief than newspaper proprietors would be found, like Messrs bhaw and Harnett in Dunedin some yearn ago, taking Government advertisements giatr- for the privilege of printing them. 1

Mr Stout was surpiiscd that the Commissioner of Customs should disown hhown child. Anyone who has had any experience of tb-‘ Province of Otago must know that tins idea of circulating the ‘ Gazettes’ there was of his own creation.

Mr Murray having spoken strong!-.- of tire means of bribing newspapers aUempird to be placed in the hands of the Governni'.nt, Mr Fyke said :—“lt seems to me from what I have heard that no one underst aids the management of newspapers so well a; those who have nothing to do with them. I do net think the remark applies to anyone better th ui it does to the member for Caversham, who, in fact, knows better what aie other men’s though;;-, than, they know theinaeivt s.” °

Mr Pyke subsequently referred to Mr Stout’s attack upon liim (lining bis absence, when the latter charged him with committing a fraud upon his constituents by voting as he' did, Mr • yke said he was v. to believe the mem* her for Cavereham voted honestly enough, but the youngest number of the Home should'be the last to charge, without f.mndatimi, otlmrs with committing a fraud. Mr Pyke having "in turn pitched in to Mr Murray for gratuitiously insulting the Press {bo latter answered rather coarsely, alluding to the member lor '-Vakatip as "Wild Will Kndoiby, ’ whose autobiography he would not fallow, ile vent on to say that be knew a certahi pm er in Oia.yi was offered to people without payment and people would not take it, as being tao dear at the money. What was copied fnun the Previn ial ‘Gazettes’ was the best part of such now-papers. Mr Stout retorted that tin* member for Wakatip had been making - a tale out of nothing—a sort of_ thing he was an adept at. ilc spoke oi Ids great knowledge of the Press ; but Mr If tout mid be himself'had been as long connected with the Press as Mr Pyke had, and knew just as much about it as ho r ee *c piofiiiKol to boa rotfusar Ota^o fxec-nght was out short hy the evident impa* tience of the committee to get on with the business.